Duncan, Francis

Francis Duncan is a pseudonym for Englishman William Underhill (not to be confused with the writer William [Walter Frank] Underhill, 1914–1988). He got his breakthrough as a crime writer almost 30 years after his death with Murder for Christmas which was first published in 1949. When it was published in a new edition in 2015, the publishers knew nothing about the author, and are said to have been astounded by the interest the book aroused and the praise from critics – and the amazingly good sales figures. It wasn’t until then that Underhill’s daughter, Kathryn, and son, Derek, became aware of the new edition, and could provide information about the author.